Everton secure loan deal for Lacina Traore

Everton confirmed on Friday that they had signed Lacina Traore on loan from Monaco for the rest of the season. Traore becomes Everton's 4th and final loan signing for the season, and is the 2nd addition to the squad this January following the arrival of Aiden McGeady a week ago.

The 23yr old made his name in Russia where he scored 18 in 38 for Kuban, before making the 15mil move to Anzhi, where he scored 13 in 29 games. His performances for Anzhi saw him move to Monaco this window for 8mil, however he is not part of the plans for this season and was made available for loan.

It initially looked like Traore was set to move to fellow Premier League side West Ham, as the Hammers had agreed a deal with Monaco and were granted a work permit, however, with Jelavic sold to Hull City, Everton made the last ditch move to hijack the deal.

The move looked in doubt earlier in the week as Monaco star man Radamel Falcao suffered a serious knee injury, however, Monaco felt they had enough cover to let the 23yr old join Everton. There was also a worry about a hamstring injury he sustained training for Monaco, however, that injury will not see him ruled out for long. There has been no indication as to when Traore could make his debut for the Toffees, however the Aston Villa game next weekend would be a realistic target.

With Everton only really having one recognised striker in the form of Lukaku, they were desperate for another striker, and with Traore on board, he will give them a valuable alternative to Lukaku. The Ivorian stands at an imposing 6'8, which means, when he makes his debut, he will be the tallest player in Premier League history. Despite his height, Traore is not renowned for his ability in the air, his strengths are his pace, technical ability on the ball and his powerful left foot.